Australian Alistair Duff currently leads the 40 players who survived the day. He sits on a stack of 128,500 and is joined at the top by Mark Bastinen on 123,900 in chips. Both are well clear of the next highest stack of Bobby Cheong, from Singapore, on 79,400.

Duff also cashed in yesterday’s APT Asian Series Cebu High Rollers side event for PHP 353,000 and knocked out Mike Takayama on his way up the ladder today. With , the flop came and Takayama had paired his ace holding . He called Duff’s reraise on the flop and when the turn came a both players got all their money in with Takayama drawing dead to Duff’s set.

Day 1A Chip Leader: Alistair Duff

Other notable players to hit the rail included Ivan Tan, Victor Chong, Sangeeth Mohan, Juicy Li, Michael Marvanek, Linh Tran, Cindy Wang and Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang, Jay Tolon and Jojo Tech.

The top ten chip counts from Day 1A
1. Alistair Duff (Australia) 128,500
2. Mark Bastinen (Philippines) 123,900
3. Bobby Cheong (Singapore) 79,400
4. Anders Hellberg (Sweden) 75,200
5. Wang Dong (China) 74,700
6. Goh Hanruo (Singapore) 72,200
7. Samad Razavi (England) 68,600
8. Kim Min Soo (Korea) 65,100
9. Nick Blackburn (United States) 61,300
10. Seo Jeong Won (Korea) 60,100

Day 1B of the Main Event and 2 more trophy events up next. Check out the complete Event Schedule

In the APT Asian Series Cebu opening event, Lithuania’s Arnius Galinskas has reigned victorious over Filipino player, Wyngard Brillo, to capture the title of Cebu Cup 2012 Champion. He was the last man standing from 355 entrants in the PHP 5,500 buy-in tournament and takes home a first prize purse of PHP 538,900.

On the final table, Galinskas made his move at seven-handed and shoved with . He was called by Teo Shi Wei who held with a shorter stack. The board ran giving Galinskas the win as he scooped close to 600,000 in chips while sending Wei to the rail.

With , Galinskas then crippled Hubert Ortega’s button shove and then got a double elimination with against Ortega’s and Abishiek Goindi’s . And all it took was a spiked ace on the river.

He then eliminated Eric Chen Wei Shyong with a set of Queens over Shyong’s two pair and faced Brillo in an exciting heads up match with a 2:1 advantage. After the lead chopped and changed several times, the final hand of the night saw Galinskas push all in with and the severely crippled Brillo call for all his chips holding . Although Brillo was ahead, the board landed giving Galinskas the Cebu Cup 2012 title.

6th Cebu Cup Champion: Arnius Galinskas

The final table payouts were:
1. Arnius Galinskas (Lithuania) PHP 538,900
2. Wyngard Brillo (Philippines) PHP 277,200
3. Eric Chen Wei Shyong (Singapore) PHP 122,200
4. Abishiek Goindi (India) PHP 87,800
5. Hubert Ortega (Philippines) PHP 70,600
6. Kang Dong Woo (Korea) PHP 53,400
7. Teo Shi Wei (Singapore) PHP 36,200
8. Mars Espera (Philippines) PHP 32,700
9. Michael Cho (Korea) PHP 31,000
10. Renato Labadan (Philippines) PHP 29,100

Michael Marvanek Wins APT Asian Series Cebu High Rollers

Michael Marvanek has clinched his first APT title after winning the PHP 108,000 buy-in APT Asian Series Cebu High Rollers. Marvanek defeated runner-up Ivan Chev Tabucal at heads up to score PHP 1,168,000 in prize money.

A field of 28 players bought into the event to create a total prize pool of PHP 2,716,000. Among those taking to the felt were Ivan Tan, Victor Chong, Brian Lovett, Cindy Wang, Florencio Campomanes, Mike Takayama, Sparrow Cheung, Mark Segal and Team PokerStars Pro Bryan Huang.

High Rollers Champion: Michael Marvanek

In the final hand of the night, Marvanek and Tabucal saw a flop of . Marvanek quickly check-called a bet of 7000 and then another of 20,000 on the turn . On the river Tabucal shoved for around 130,000 and Marvanek tanked before making the call with , which gave him the title over Tabucal’s .

The APT Asian Series Cebu Main Event Day 1A starts today at 1pm local time. Check out the complete Event Schedule.

Faering is followed by Day 1A’s chip leader William Nuneza (82,300), Singapore’s Shazly (73,100), Michael Hyun Wok Cho (73,000) and Hung Doo Sok (57,100).

Day 1B Chip Leader: Kristian Faering

Faering amassed his stack with Pocket Tens on the big blind in a hand with the button player. Faering three-bet preflop and the two players went to a jack-high flop. His opponent had flopped top pair with K-J and called Faering’s continuation bet. However, a ten appeared on the turn to give Faering trips and he laid the trap with a check. A bet, re-raise and all-in followed and a blank on the river sent Faering’s stack up to the 100,000-mark. Check out his interview

Many of the day’s notable players joined the casualty list including Lester Edoc, Victor Chong, Sparrow Cheung, Hirotoshi Nakabo, Richard Marquez, Jessie Leonarez, Euryd Rivera, Kim Michael Enriquez, Richard Mari, Sim Jae Kyung (better known as “Simba”) and Mark Segal.

All up, 92 players remain in the Cebu Cup and will be battling out tomorrow from 1pm local time. Running alongside the event will be the APT Asian Series Cebu PHP 108,000 High Rollers event, starting at 3pm local time. Check out the complete Event Schedule.

Day 1A of the 6th Cebu Cup 1 Million Guaranteed

Despite it being just the first day of the tournament series, a number of notable players were also in attendance including Sangeeth Mohan, Victor Chong, Dave “El Blondie” Colclough, Jay Lubas, Richard Marquez, Tetsuya Tsuchikawa and Hirotoshi Nakabo.

Cebu Cup Day 1A Chip Leader: William Nuneza

Nuneza’s rise to the top came courtesy largely of Kim Michael Enriquez in one of the final hands of the evening. Unfortunately for Enriquez, his ran into Nuneza’s along with a short-stacked opponent with . A board of sent both Enriquez and the short stack to the rail and shot Nuneza into the lead.

The top 10 chip counts at the end of the day were:

1. William Nuneza (Philippines) 82,300
2. Gerry Flores (Philippines) 67,700
3. Hung Doo Sok (Korea) 57,100
4. Jason Walker (United States) 50,300
5. Ernesto Juano (Philippines) 48,400
6. Mars Espera (Philippines) 45,700
7. Lukasz Jankowski (Poland) 40,600
8. Arnius Galinskas (Lithuania) 38,600
9. Adrian Jayme (Philippines) 36,700
10. Kang Dong Woo (Korea) 35,400

Day 1B of the Cebu Cup at APT Asian Series Cebu starts at 1pm tomorrow. Check out the complete Event Schedule.

The Asian Poker Tour will again heat up the felts of the All In Poker Club as the APT Asian Series returns to Cebu with non-stop poker action ensured through a schedule featuring a PHP 50,000 Main Event with 9 Satellites and 9 more events from February 1-7, 2012!

Want to Qualify?
The All In Poker Club will host a THREE-SEAT GUARANTEED Main Event Mega Satellite on January 30th!

Looking for hotel accommodations?
There are Special APT Player Only rates available at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel & Casino.

EVENT SCHEDULE | ALL IN POKER CLUB MEGA SATELLITE | WATERFRONT CEBU HOTEL

A total prize pool of £62,500 was created when 125 players registered for the £545 buy-in Main Event. Notable players that attended the event included Genting Poker Pro and Hendon Mob Member Barny Boatman, Romano Pizzo, Steve Watts, Surinder Sunar, Pryian De Mel, WSOPE bracelet winner Scott Shelley and Gordon Huntly, as well as Phil Sanders who collected two APT Asian Series Goa side event titles last year.

L-R: William Dorey with Fox Poker Club Poker Director Paul Whiting

Dorey came into the final table as second in chips behind Steve Watts but managed to snatch the lead in a key hand. Holding , Dorey elimated Anh-Tuan Hoang’s in 7th place and doubled through Surinder Sunar’s . He then went on to knock out PokerTube’s Stefan Wittmoss in 5th place before Sunar and Steve Watts were sent to the rail in 4th and 3rd place respectively.

At heads up, Dorey and Mark Karoullas went to war and the final hand came when Dorey shoved with and Karoullas made the call with a dominating . The flop of switched things around, however, and both the turn and river blanked out for Karoullas, sending him home in 2nd place for £13,500.

APT London Main Event payouts:
1. William Dorey £17,130
2. Mark Karoullas £13,500
3. Steve Watts £10,000
4. Surinder Sunar £5,520
5. Stefan Wittmoss £4,280
6. Tolga Kuru £3,020
7. An-Tuan Hoang £2,400
8. Duncan Mackie £1,780
9. Alex Van de Weyer £1,150
10. Charlene Coleman £940
11. Priyan De Mel £940
12. Karl Gustafsson £940
13. Phil Long £900

Congratulations to all the winners and the Fox Poker Club for a hugely successful tournament!

Up next on the Asian Poker Tour calendar is the APT Asian Series Cebu 2012 which kicks off on February 1st at the Waterfront Cebu Hotel & Casino!

Waterfront Cebu Hotel & Casino - Official Hotel Partner of the APT Asian Series Cebu 2012

At the center of the Queen City of the South is Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, one of the Philippines’ famous landmarks. Located 30 minutes from Mactan international Airport, and a stone’s throw away from the city’s financial district and best attractions, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino is the place to go and stay.

Special Rates are ONLY applicable if booked directly with the Watefront Cebu Hotel & Casino or APT. Rates not applicable to bookings via any other site/s or promotions.

Inclusions:

• Complimentary 2 bottled water per day
• Access to the Gym (Open 24 hours)
• Use of the swimming pool
• WiFi internet connection in all Guest Rooms and Function Rooms
• Shuttle Service to SM City Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu
• For a minimum stay of 4 nights, guests are entitled to free roundtrip airport transfers ( Flight details required)

How to Book?

1. Contact the Waterfront Cebu Hotel and Casino Reservation Desk through +63 32 230 9000 or 1-800-10-9376688 (for Philippines Only).
2. Advise the Reservation Officer that you are a Player for the APT event and that you would like to avail of the Special APT Player Only Rates
3. Be prepared with the following info of your preference…

• Complete Name:
• Contact Number:
• Preferred Room Type:
• Check In Date:
• Check Out Date:
• Other Requests: (Single/Double Occupancy; Smoking/Non-Smoking)

*The special APT rates are available from January 29 – February 11, 2012.

*Special Rates are ONLY applicable if booked directly with the Watefront Cebu Hotel & Casino or APT. Rates not applicable to bookings via any other site/s or promotions.

The Waterfront Cebu Hotel & Casino is located along Salinas Drive, Lahug in Cebu City, Philippines. For more information, check out the Waterfront Cebu Hotel & Casino official website.

View the complete APT Asian Series Cebu 2012 Event Schedule.

Under the terms of the contract, the APT will hold at least two of its Manila tournaments at RWM every calendar year. This includes the premier APT tournaments as well as the popular and more affordable APT Asian Series events.

L-R: RWM’s Hakan Dagtas and APT CEO Jeff Mann announce prosperous deal ahead of Chinese New Year

According to APT CEO Jeff Mann, “The APT’s poker players are our number one priority and Resorts World Manila, with its fantastic facilities and staff, does a fantastic job of ensuring they are well looked after and have the best poker experience possible.”

The deal comes on the back of a solid partnership between the two since 2010 with the APT hosting a number of successful tournaments at the venue, including a record-breaking 396 Main Event entrants at the 2011 APT Asian Series Manila.

“Both parties were very happy with each other from the previous years and there was no reason not to continue and develop the market. Over the past three events, we understood what we wanted, what to expect and whether the other party could deliver up to expectations,” said VP of Casino Operations at RWM, Hakan Dagtas.

The next APT tournament scheduled to be held at RWM will be APT Philippines on April 19-25, 2012.

For more information on the APT, visit www.TheAsianPokerTour.com.

Following APT Asian Series Goa, the next major stop in the Asian Poker Tour’s packed schedule will be APT Asian Series Cebu on February 1-7, 2012. Top poker players from around Asia will join the best that the Philippines has to offer at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino’s All In Poker Club.

The highlight of the 7-day stop will once again be the PHP 50,000 buy-in Main Event. Sweden’s Andreas Lindblom won the previous 2011 APT Asian Series Cebu Main Event and took home PHP 1,875,300 in prize money. It was also the first time that an APT Asian Series tournament was held, which provides players with more affordable buy-ins and great event structures.

APT Asian Series Cebu 2011 Main Event Champion: Andreas Lindblom

Asian Poker Tour CEO, Jeff Mann, has already confirmed that 2012 will be the busiest year in the APT’s history in terms of the number of tournaments.

Players will also be able to satellite their way into the APT Asian Series Cebu Main Event through various satellites. For more information, just look for Qualifiers on the Asian Poker Tour homepage.

View the complete APT Asian Series Cebu 2012 Event Schedule.

Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event Champion:
Oliver Speidel

Australian Oliver Speidel has become the first APT Accredited Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event champion at Asia Poker Sports Club after completely dominating yesterday’s final table. Speidel came into the last day as the overall chip leader and never looked back, picking up PHP 2,202,000 in prize money while defeating Filipino Czardy Rivera in the heads up match.

A total of 148 entries were recorded in the PHP 50,000 buy-in 5-day event generating a prize pool of PHP 6,675,540. Speidel made his presence felt at the tables on Day 2 and came into the final table as the chip leader with a 480,000 stack.

Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event Final Table

A turning point in the final table came when Speidel four-bet shoved preflop with against the other big stack on the table, South African Conrad Coetzer. The bold move almost got Coetzer to lay down his hand but in the end he called with . However, a board of saw Speidel get lucky with trip aces and gave him almost half of the chips in play at the table while eliminating the player who was his biggest threat at that time.

Speidel was responsible for railing five of his opponents at the final table before reaching his heads up match with Rivera holding 1,520,000 in chips versus Rivera’s 680,000. Rivera threw everything he had at his opponent but Speidel was able to sniff out some Rivera’s early bluffs. The final hand came when Rivera shoved with preflop and Speidel made the call with . The board delivered to give Speidel the title and bust Rivera in second place for PHP 1,201,600.

Check out how Oliver Speidel became the last man standing at the Final Table through Poker Portal Asia’s Live Updates and the APT Accredited Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event Main Event Results

The other two side-events in the APT Accredited Manny Pacquiao World Poker Event schedule were won by Tetsuya Tsuchikawa for PHP 552,900 in the High Roller and Edgardo Ligon for PHP 126,000 in the Pot Limit Omaha event.

Be the next APT Champion at the APT Asian Series Cebu…